The Municipality of Den Haag broadened its approach to radicalization and extremism. Den Haag has gained significant experience in recent years with so-called foreign fighters and has established a signaling structure through preventive measures to combat (violent) extremism and radicalization in the city. At the same time, in Den Haag – just like in the rest of the Netherlands – extremism is increasingly difficult to categorize ideologically, and individuals posing risks are not necessarily linked to the municipality of Den Haag. Therefore, more regional cooperation is necessary in addressing new phenomena.

This is evident from the Phenomenon Analysis Extremism Region Haaglanden and Hollands Midden, which was commissioned by the Municipality of Den Haag. The Phenomenon Analysis, along with the Progress Report on the local approach to radicalization and extremism, was sent to the council today by Mayor Jan van Zanen of Den Haag.

“The threat from violent extremism remains present in the Netherlands and thus also in Den Haag. This calls for constant vigilance. Especially since financial support from the national government is decreasing. We are, of course, asking for attention to this, and at the same time, we are continuing locally to improve our approach. We can also reduce the threat as much as possible by collaborating more in the region and continuing to respond to changes,” said Mayor Van Zanen.

Last year, the municipality received 40 reports of suspected radicalization. This is slightly more than the previous year: in 2023, there were 37 reports made to the Information Point Prevention Polarization and Radicalization (IPPR). Like in previous years, most reports in 2024 related to jihadism. Additionally, there were reports of right-wing and anti-institutional extremism, but extremist ideologies are often no longer strictly ideologically defined. Furthermore, radicalization processes are increasingly taking place online, there are more radicalizing minors, and there is often a confluence of mental health issues with extremism.

The approach of the municipality to these complex and changing phenomena consists of a combination of targeted interventions and more general preventive measures, such as resilience projects against factors that can create a breeding ground for extremism. In total, approximately 1500 young people, 140 parents, and 50 professionals (including youth and community workers) have been reached in all districts of Den Haag. This number is slightly higher than in previous years, partly due to a new project focused on misinformation.

The municipality collaborates closely with care and safety partners in the approach both within and outside the city. Several hundred professionals from the care and safety domain have been trained. For more regional cooperation, a knowledge bank was also established last year from the Care and Safety House Haaglanden. Additionally, targeted projects are being implemented with other municipalities. For example, with Zoetermeer, the Trias Pedagogica project focuses on parents, as they play an important protective role for (their) young people. A new project is also being developed with Delft, Gouda, and Zoetermeer that focuses on adults to make them resilient against anti-institutional extremism.